Cuyahoga Politics Today: State Rep. Kent Smith sets up Jane B. Sheats Award

Brown appointed to serve on House Oversight and Reform, Agriculture Committees

Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown (OH-11) was appointed today to serve on the House Committee and Oversight Reform and the House Agriculture Committees after her nomination from the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee was approved by the full Democratic Caucus.

In a statement released by her office, Brown said in reference to the Agriculture Committee appointment that she was looking “forward to building upon the legacy of my friend and predecessor, HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, by improving access to food for families and people in need. I am proud to continue in the tradition, stretching back to Shirley Chisholm, of black women representing urban districts who have served on this Committee.”

The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.  It has authority to investigate the subjects within the Committee’s legislative jurisdiction as well as "any matter" within the jurisdiction of the other standing House Committees.  The Agriculture Committee oversees USDA and has jurisdiction over all aspects of agriculture, forestry, nutrition, water conservation, and other agriculture-related fields.

Deadline today for Democratic Exec Committee applications

Noon today was the deadline for those seeking appointment to the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party’s executive committee. Interested parties had until noon to complete and submit an online form.

The process was refined this year in hopes of avoiding the disgruntlement that occurred last year when many longtime committee members found they had been dumped from the executive committee. Carelessness and inattention were the likely culprits.

The process is under the control of the party chair, who is permitted by CCDP bylaws to appoint up to three hundred fifth (350) Executive Committee members; the appointments are good from the date they are made until December 31 of that same year. Party chair Shontel Brown was busy running for Congress and appeared to have dropped the ball on shepherding the process. That seems to have been rectified this year.

The significance of executive committee membership cannot be overlooked. It is the body that ultimately decides on who the party’s endorsed candidates will be. In heavily Democratic Cuyahoga County, the endorsement carries great weight and is often considered tantamount to primary and general election success.

400 members of the executive committee hold their seats by virtue of being elected public officials. They must pay dues to retain their voting privileges.

The party endorsement will be especially crucial next year when the party selects its nominee for County Executive. So far, former University Circle honcho Chris Ronayne is the only declared candidate, but Maple Heights mayor Annette Blackwell is also eyeing the race.

It takes 60% of those who show up and vote to win the party’s endorsement, so the underdog or outsider strategy is often to keep the presumptive favorite from getting to 60%. When there is no endorsement, the primary contests get fought out by the candidates on a more level field.

Brown is likely to announce her selections shortly after Jan 1.

Jane B. Sheats

Rep. Kent Smith names Sens. Sandra Williams and Kenny Yuko as the first recipients of "Jane B. Sheats Community Impact Award"

State Rep. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) recently announced State Senators Sandra Williams and Kenny Yuko as the first two recipients of the Jane B. Sheats Community Impact Award, named after the first African American woman in the United States to chair a county board of elections.

Smith said the goal of the award is to recognize the selfless efforts of others and the impact their hard work has made. He anticipates saluting several people each year with the award, according to a prepared statement from his office.

Smith said the idea for the award came to him earlier this year as the pandemic appeared to ease. “I came to the realization that I don't say thank you enough, and we all should say thank you more often. …To grow our collective spirit of gratitude, I decided to create an award. I soon settled on the idea of naming the award after Ms. Sheats and reached out to her and her family for their blessing.

"This award will not go to only those in public life. But Senators Williams and Yuko should be thanked for their over 30 years of collective public work as Ms. Sheats should be thanked for her example."

Sheats was appointed as a Democratic board member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in 1975. She served as Chair from 1976-1979, becoming the first African American woman to chair a county elections board in the country. Her accomplishment was recorded in the Congressional Record on November 16, 2012.

An East Cleveland resident, Sheats celebrated her 89th birthday on November 20th.

Both Williams and Yuko are term-limited and will be leaving the state senate. Yuko is retiring from elected office, and Smith is actively running to replace him.

Williams, who finished out of the running in this year’s Cleveland mayoral primary, could opt for a chance at returning to the Ohio House, where she spent eight years before moving on to the Senate in 2014.

New legislative district lines approved in October by the Ohio Redistricting Commission are the subject of several court challenges on Constitutional grounds currently before the Ohio Supreme Court, which has scheduled oral hearings for next Wednesday, December 8.

At this stage, Williams would be looking to replace state representative Stephanie Howse in the redrawn district. Howse chose to run for Cleveland city council this year instead of running to remain in the House. She won, her council race, so the House Democratic Caucus will vote on a successor to serve out the remaining year of her term.

Judicial Candidate session set for December 7

Democrats interested in running for judge in Cuyahoga County are invited to attend an information session at party headquarters, 3615 Superior Ave [44103], this Saturday from noon until 1:30p.

The session will cover campaign resources, the party’s endorsement process, required questionnaire procedures, a campaign finance overview, the party’s mail program, and more.

Pre-registration is required here.

All participants are required to show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the scheduled meeting. Masks and social distancing will be observed. NO EXCEPTIONS. Seats are limited to facilitate social distancing.

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